Russ Newbury


Biography

Russ Newbury retired in 2021 from Hanford High School in Richland, Washington where he served as the Director of Bands. While at HHS his marching band won "Sweepstakes"- Best of Show at the Washington State University Marching Band Championships in 2017 along with numerous other local and regional awards over the years. While at Hanford, Russ’s Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the prestigious “All-Northwest Music Educators Conference in Portland, Oregon in March of 2019. Along with his role at Hanford, Russ has served as the Conductor of the Columbia Basin Concert Band, a part of the Music Department at Columbia Basin College. Prior to teaching at Hanford, Russ acted as both Pasco High School Band Director, and Fine Arts Facilitator for the Pasco School District, where Pasco Schools were recognized numerous times for being one of the “Best Communities for Support of Music Education” in the United States by music industry and education partners NAMM and NaFme.

During his career, Russ served as the Director of Bands at Bozeman High School in Bozeman, Montana, and Libby High School in Libby, Montana. Russ's wind, jazz, and marching ensembles have always been among the top groups in festivals and competitions throughout the northwest with three performances at the prestigious All-Northwest Music Educators Conferences.

Russ has served for eight years as the music arranger for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps from Denver, CO, and has written for the Seattle Cascades, Spokane Thunder and the newly reformed Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps. Russ was one of the founding fathers for the resurrection of the Columbians in 2012.

Russ maintains an active schedule writing original works for concert band, jazz ensemble, and marching band along with a variety of commission projects for groups of all ages. Past projects include “Fanfare to the Great Hall” for band, chorus and orchestra written to commemorate the grand opening of the new performing arts center at Ferris High School in 2014. “WINDOWS,” written for the Hanford High School Wind Ensemble to be premiered at the “Music for All” festival in Indianapolis in March 2014. Russ’s “Cantabile” for orchestra was performed in Carnegie Hall in New York in 1997, and his Sonata for Flute and Piano is currently being performed internationally.

Russ has been active as a clinician throughout the United States and Canada and currently resides in Pasco, Washington with his wife Loralee.